Talk:Episode 19 (15th February 1961)
Before I rush to delete the newly added note, I'd like to discuss its contents: "The episode was then recorded instead on its normal tape date." What is meant by its normal "tape date"? All the evidence is that the episode was taped on 10th February, some time after 7.00pm when it should have been tramsmitted live. This meant that the programme had two videotaped episodes in the can instead of one. "Shortly after the producers decided to abandon live telecasts and the show began taping all episodes ahead of transmission." The producers had no option but to abandon live telecasts as they'd lost a transmission date but recording went ahead and studio and actors would be booked for each and every Friday several weeks in advance - there were simply no live slots left for them to transmit in. "However, until the late 1970's, the show taped nearly all of its episodes just a few days in advance and straight through giving a live feel." Only partly true. Transmission strikes in 1967 and 1968 meant that the programme was almost three weeks ahead by the time of the 1968 ITV Strike although the fact that the programme continued to be broadcast during that strike eat up the excess and put the programme back to being just a week ahead. It caught up again in 1969 to two weeks ahead (caused by the strike on 14th July) but by the time that the ITV Colour Strike started it went to just one week ahead (see note to Episode 1026 (18th November 1970) which was recorded on Friday 13th November 1970). I don't know how or when but by Christmas 1974 the programme is some three weeks ahead again. The Daily Express "doorstepped" Violet Carson as she stepped in to the studios on Thursday 5th December 1974 to record her first episode since going on her sick leave in February. The episode she was recording was shown on 18th December. This also brings to me my next point - several sources (Kershaw, Little) state that the arrival of Colour Television and the technical problems it bought meant that almost continuous recording had to be abandoned in 1969 and recording breaks and edits introduced. This eat into studio time and meant that Thursdays had to be in studio as well for technical run-throughs. "An advantage, was with the tape days being so close to transmission, the show was able to mention current events." Please name a single instance where this occured. All "current events" mentioned in the programme such as the 1966 World Cup and decimalisation in 1971 were known of years in advance and could be properly plotted and scripted.--Jtomlin1uk 09:33, March 8, 2010 (UTC) : There are times when deaths of major actors had their charectors deaths written in within two weeks of the their couterparts deaths. Election wins were quickly written in in 1966, so unless they recorded last minute inserts, the show almost had to be have been recorded. Its also clear that sudden illness's and the strike of 1961, caused episodes to be rewritten overnight and had to drop charectors instantly because of the close transmission dates to the tape dates. The royal wedding of 1973 was referenced in details of how it occured. You are very correct that the show did jump to weeks in advance at many points but for the most part most of the early 1960's the show was definatly recorded a few days before broadcast (evidence by overnight rewrites during the Equality strike). Mattfrye1 01:28, March 10, 2010 (UTC) ::You know more about me than the 1966 election (and I presume you mean the national General Election of 31st March that year, not the fictional election when Annie and Len were candidates?) The Royal Wedding of 1973 was planned for months ahead as with other royal events which the programme has featured heavily - the Jubilee and the 1981 wedding. The issue with sudden illnesses is still an issue today, whether or not the programme is recorded weeks in advance or one week. If an actor phones in sick and a studio is ready to record, writers have to get before their pc's pronto and make changes fast as studio time is hideously expensive. I agree that on two occasions the death of the actor has led to the equally quick death of the character they played (Arthur Leslie and Graham Haberfield) and that until the early 1970s the programme, for the most part, was recorded as close as the week before transmission and I'd like to change to note to say this.--Jtomlin1uk 09:35, March 10, 2010 (UTC) Where does the 1977 date come from in the revised note?--Jtomlin1uk 12:10, March 12, 2010 (UTC) Thats the latest point where its apparent that the show is still being recorded close to tape day. Scenes from Len Fairclougth and Rita Littlewoods wedding in 1977, were recorded close to transmission date. If there was any point after that, I am not sure but I recall no point in the 1980's when I was present in Granada it being that close Mattfrye1 21:02, March 12, 2010 (UTC)